Signs of High-Risk Information Technology Security

In today’s world of technology, it is becoming increasingly easier for hackers to attack companies, as well as for data files and information to become lost. Many security threats can occur, ranging from attacks by hackers, losing your files due to server malfunctions/breakdowns, having your data breached, and more.

It is important to be aware of the signs that may determine whether your activities are potentially putting your company at high risk, regarding any of these security concerns. Not only is it important to be aware of these signs, it is equally important to discover ways to take preventive action so that your data is protected and secure.

Signs That You Might Be At Risk

Keep Your Software Up-to-Date

Firstly, your business is considered at high risk in terms of I.T. security if any of your company’s software programs have not been updated. By neglecting to update your software, you aren’t benefiting from new technological advances made by that software company for the purpose of upgrading your security system, to protect against a range of the latest security threats. Getting your software up-to-date is a way to mitigate the weak points consistently, identified in your software, as there are new fixes that are released regularly.

Always Have a Backup

A second way that you might be putting your business at high risk for I.T. security, is if you do not have all of your information or files saved in the cloud, or in a server, and backed up regularly. If there is an attack or a server disruption, and you have not made a backup in a while, there is a high chance that your files may never be recovered.

Teach Your Employees How to Secure Data

A third way that your business might be at high risk for I.T. security, is if there is no plan or policies in-place regarding cybersecurity. If employees are not informed on how to properly secure their data, information or files, there is a higher risk of a cyberattack occurring.
In these training sessions, it is important to inform employees about phishing links that may lead to an attack. and how they can spot the signs of problematic emails and links. Knowledge is power, and keeping your employees up-to-date with a cybersecurity strategy, is one of the best ways to prevent attacks created by human error.

At Info-tech Montreal, we offer trainings on best security practices and how to secure you and your team can secure data.

Get an I.T. Team

Another way that your company may be at high risk in terms of I.T. security, is if your company does not have a technical support team. Not having a Managed Service Provider (MSP), can increase your risk for I.T. security, as you may not realize you have a problem if professionals are not there to monitor the situation. Professional MSPs have an I.T, with individuals who have different specialites that allow them to react swiftly, and take the right steps for security threats that do occur.

Create Strong Passwords

Another sign that indicates that your activities may put you at high risk for I.T. security, is having a weak password. It is important to make sure that your passwords are strong, complex and contain enough characters, more than just letters, but symbols or numbers as well. This instantly increases the difficulty of any bot or hacker in search of such vulnerabilities.

However, having a strong password is not enough to be fully secure. New technology such as 2-Factor Authorization and Multiple Factor Authorization are now a must in order to keep your business secure.

Get an Assessment to Lower Security Risks

Now that you know some of the ways in which your business can be considered at high-risk, the information below is going to provide insights into how Info-Tech Montreal can help your company take the necessary precautions in order to improve your network security.

One way to prevent your business from becoming high-risk, is to have an I.T. security risk assessment. This assessment starts off with the identification of vulnerabilities and scans the vital areas of the technology network. Once the risks are identified and evaluated, planning can begin in the areas of your business that need the most time and energy to mitigate the I.T. security risks.

After mitigation of risks is planned, we begin to develop a strategy and apply security controls for each of the risks that we have identified in the first step of this assessment. While performing this step in the assessment, we may notice some holes that lead to a higher I.T. security risk. It is here that we implement specific tools to prevent any I.T. malfunctions.

By completing this assessment, you are helping the future of your business, in the case of any damage that may occur regarding your business’ security and information.

Overview of Solutions to Mitigate I.T. Security Risks

Here are other ways that companies can minimize the risk of data breaches, or any I.T. security concerns:

Update software programs to the latest version, to better protect against cyber attacks and other forms of disruption.

Back up files on a regular basis, in case of a server crash.
Set up cybersecurity and data breach policies, and conduct training sessions for employees, so they can spot potential cyber attacks and avoid them.
Hire an I.T. team to overlook and monitor all I.T. problems so that companies can focus on growing their business.
Use strong and complex passwords that do not contain personal information, which would otherwise then become an easy target available to hackers.

After reading this article, you are now aware of the areas you can focus on, in order to mitigate security risks, and prevent a data breach. Every company will have a different solution for optimal network security, but an experienced Managed Service Provider is essential to your business.

If you’re in need of high-quality preventive action, and monitoring of your company’s computer networks for improved security, contact Info-Tech Montreal. With an expert team on board, and nearly 25 years of experience, Info-Tech can optimize your company’s computer network, resulting in an improved network security.

Is your private network as secure as you think it is?

As a result of an increasing amount of information being exchanged online, network security has become imperative to the majority of businesses. The best way to prevent a security breach, along with associated liabilities, which would result in further headwinds facing your business, is to create an IT Security policy, a Data Recovery (DR) plan, a Privacy Policy, all of which can be managed by Info-Tech Montreal. This will protect your business continuity, regardless of the size of your company or the nature of your industry. In other words, you will now be able to operate without the fear or threat that your business could face stressful and costly downtime, data loss, permissions issues, breach of information, or undesirable liabilities.

Studies conducted relating to current and future ways of conducting business, reveal that approximately half of small businesses admit that they still need to improve their response plans regarding data breaches, and IT security incidents. This remains a clear indication that Info-Tech Montreal’s solutions are not only extremely relevant, but are necessary in order to achieve secure business operations.

It is also important to note that a significant number of businesses that experienced a data breach, have admitted that they didn’t have appropriate IT solutions in place. This has also revealed that the business lacks internal IT knowledge and experience. It also demonstrates a lack of knowledge and policies designed to regulate or restrict access to internal information by a third party, which must be implemented to establish and maintain all data security needs.

Info-Tech Montreal helps small and mid-sized businesses, in Canada, manage their computer networks and cater to their general and more bespoke I.T. needs. By choosing Info-Tech, it is important to us that we provide you with the results you need from your technology investment – even if you don’t know exactly what those needs are. We work diligently with our clients to assess your current situation, and then suggest products and services that will best meet your immediate needs. Our experts digress from complex ‘tech-talk’ & explain all your choices in clear, non-technical terms, so there is a clear and concise understanding of how your business & employees will benefit from each selected option. More often than ever, businesses and employees are being targeted by sophisticated phishing attacks due to the valuable information that criminals who engage in such phishing attempts can be potentially acquire. Workplace phishing emails are now made to look like they are from a legitimate organization, a client or even a co-worker. Whether your employees are working from home, in the office or elsewhere, it’s important that they are able to perform their job at a high level without the potential of putting the company’s information at risk. Info-Tech manages all backend systems that are hardware, software, and security-related. A heavy focus is on prevention of such cyber security threats, including the more recent threat of ransomware, whereby a person or company’s information is essentially held hostage, potentially until a payment is made as per the demands of this type of cyber-criminal.

It is important to note, however, that cyber-attacks aren’t unique to large corporations. Every single individual with an online presence should protect their IT systems, too. Below are a few practical steps you can take immediately, to tighten up your data security, via services offered by Info-Tech Montreal.

IT Network Security

Network Security is vital in protecting client data and information, keeping shared data secure and ensuring reliable access and network performance, as well as protection from cyber threats. A well-designed network security solution reduces overhead expenses and safeguards organizations from costly losses that occur from a data breach or other security incident. Ensuring legitimate access to systems, applications and data enables business operations and delivery of services and products to customers.

Network security involves access control, virus and anti-virus software, application security, network analytics, network related security, firewalls, VPN encryption and more according to the clients’ specific needs.

IT Risk Management

IT risk management, also called “information security risk management,” consists of the policies, procedures, and technologies that a company uses to mitigate risks from malicious actors and reduce information technology vulnerabilities that negatively impact data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An effective IT risk management program should use a combination of different policies and strategies, as attacks can come in many forms and what works for one data asset might not be successful for another. However, there are overarching actions that all organizations can take to begin strengthening their cybersecurity posture. Most importantly, it is imperative that enterprise security teams have continuous monitoring in place to ensure that cybersecurity efforts are keeping up with the evolving threat landscape. Starting out by putting together all your SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) will facilitate the identification of potential security risks or vulnerabilities.

Cyber Security Services

Cyber security is the practice of shielding computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. It’s also known as information technology security or electronic information security. The term applies in a variety of contexts, from business to mobile computing, and can be divided into a few common categories.

The threats countered by cyber-security consist of:

a) Cybercrime includes single actors or groups targeting systems for financial gain or to cause disruption.
b) Cyber-attack often involves politically motivated information gathering.
c) Cyberterrorism is intended to undermine electronic systems to cause panic or fear.

Even as companies invest in data security modules, there remain simple measures that can be applied to continually up the ante on how businesses and allow employees an opportunity to grow their knowledge and ability to implement the basics of cybersecurity. Info-Tech Montreal makes sure clients are briefed when creating, managing, accessing and storing files, and how to identify emails or information designed to harm the entire company. There will also be a process for managing the company’s sensitive information including passwords, customer lists, and client or company information.

Some useful pointers include:

Ensure passwords are strong; staff shouldn’t use their name, birthday, street address or other personal information. In addition, passwords should be at least 16 characters long, contain both upper and lowercase characters, numbers and special characters.
Teach staff how to deal with sensitive data, for example, only store it using trusted cloud services that need to be authenticated for access and do not share it with untrusted or third parties.
Install, configure and enforce the use of legitimate software, via Info-Tech Montreal.
Create backups of essential data and regularly update IT equipment and applications to avoid unpatched vulnerabilities that could cause a breach.
There are a host of solutions available to Info-Tech Montreal that are easy to set up, enable businesses to protect sensitive data and secure financial transactions, as well as safeguard user credentials.

There are, of course, numerous reasons why companies decide to invest in their privacy program. It is also imperative to note that, it is not just about levelling the playing field, it is also about protecting the personal data of individuals, and allowing them to protect and exercise their rights and gain control over how their data is processed, by whom, and under what circumstances. Protecting your company’s valuable information is essentially about equipping oneself on how to navigate this abundant online World.

This means you will need to consider what kind of company you want to be and what kind of values you want to support. Focusing on privacy as one of your company’s key values can help you create trust between you and your customers throughout the course of time. In addition, you will be eligible for larger contracts from higher profile organizations, since most publicly traded companies have a vendor management process, and your company’s IT Security Policy, DR Policy and Privacy Policy need to be up-to-date in order for you to qualify as a supplier.

Your Policies and Security Systems are Only as Good as Your People

After a murderous GPS led him into a lake, famed Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott said, “People will never be replaced by machines. In the end, life and business are about human connections.”

We all know companies depend on their employees to forge and nurture relationships with customers, potential clients, and other coworkers. But what we don’t often realize is how important employees are in helping your company protect its technology and sensitive internal data, too.

It’s estimated that approximately 74 percent of companies have experienced a security breach due to employees violating established security rules.

Find out what it would cost you to be down because of a security breach with our Free Downtime Calculator.

To make sure your internal systems and data remain safe and secure, it’s essential to train your employees on best practices for keeping your business and data safe. We encourage you to put the following policies in place and ensure your staff follow them consistently.

Adhere to Guidelines for Strong Passwords

A strong password isn’t optional; hackers and criminals are much more likely to breach an account with a password that’s easy to guess.

Employees should follow these guidelines when creating their passwords:

Use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters
Incorporate special characters and numbers
Use phrases
Avoid passwords that include birthdays, student IDs, the names of pets or children, hometowns, vacation spots, or other personal information that’s easy to guess or find

While conventional guidelines state that passwords should be a minimum of eight characters long, it’s better to use passwords that are at least 15 characters long.

Follow Security Group Naming Conventions

Your security groups should use secure naming conventions that adhere to a set of guidelines that standardize the names and creation of future names. This will make it easier for you to identify your host names, user accounts, and other resources and assist you with managing and monitoring the security of your various accounts.

Secure Your Equipment When You’re Away

Even if they’re only stepping away from their equipment for a moment, employees should make it a habit to secure their devices. It only takes a quick glance from the wrong person (yes, sometimes it can be a fellow colleague!) to access and misuse confidential information.

This also applies to equipment that employees may temporarily use with their unique logins. When they’re done, they should always log out and multiple individuals should never share or use the same login credentials.

Declutter Old Files

Employees should regularly declutter their old files and permanently delete files they don’t need anymore. Files are a potential source of valuable information that hackers would love to obtain – not only that, but a drive that’s full of unnecessary files can slow down your computers.

Make sure employees take steps to confirm that the files are permanently deleted, like using special software that removes the file from the device’s hard drive.

Be Vigilant When Sending Emails

Email consistently serves as one of the main vectors for security breaches. While email is convenient for providing employees with a rapid, reliable means of communication, it also gives hackers the opportunity to steal your company’s information within seconds via a harmful link or malicious attachment.

Employees should follow strict usage policies to prevent an email-related security breach:

Implement a Filing System for Emails

An email filing system isn’t only useful for organizing messages or quickly finding a specific one, but also for increasing the security of an email inbox.

For example, with a filing system, employees can quickly identify if they’re receiving a lot of emails from outside entities that pose a security risk. Organizing their emails also allows them to determine what messages have been dealt with and can be deleted, and makes it easier to spot incoming spam or phishing emails.

Know What Not to Click On

Employees should never click on attachments from unknown users and should only click on attachments when they’re expecting to receive an attachment.

If they do need to click on an attachment, they should ensure that they’re using a device with tools that scan attachments for malicious files, like an antivirus software.

Avoid Sending Internal Attachments

If your company doesn’t send internal attachments, employees will have little reason to click on a potentially harmful attachment from a trusted sender. Instead, encourage employees to use shared file storage to share files.

Know How to Safely Send Files Externally

Employees will likely need to send files to external recipients at some point. In these instances, encourage employees to use password-protected links and add expiration dates that ensure the link isn’t accessible after a stated period. These guidelines make it more secure to add files and save valuable inbox space.

How to Bolster Your Company’s Security

All of the policies in the world won’t protect your company’s data if your employees don’t follow them. If you’re not sure of the state of your company’s security, contact us today to schedule a comprehensive network security assessment.

How to Spot a Text Message Scam

Scams are becoming more common each day. Do you know how to spot a text message scam?

As scammers have caught on that the majority of people can identify an email scam, they have since resorted to text message scams. The below article is going into depth on ways that you can identify if a particular text message is a scam and other things to be aware/ mindful of in order to not fall victim to smishing – phishing via SMS. As always be cautious and safe in all online connected spaces.

What happens when your cloud server is compromised in a DDOS?

It is hard to comprehend how far the information technology landscape has advanced in the past few decades – imagine living back in the 1980s when a personal computer was a luxury item for a home, using old faithful MS DOS for your operating system and a floppy disk for storage? Jump forward just 40 years to today, where a microchip can be hidden inside a pinhead, and your backup storage is almost entirely virtual. What does this mean for internet security? You may have heard about recent attacks on Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) providers in Canada – hackers are rife and they are getting bolder and more invasive with every passing day. A physical, old-fashioned phone line is almost impossible to compromise since the physical infrastructure would have to be damaged. Not so for a VOIP line, which is hosted entirely in the cloud.

One of the main and very popular ways your cloud server can be attacked by a hacker or group of ‘bad actors’, is known as a Dedicated Denial of Service (DDOS) attack. This is not something reserved for the uninformed, it can happen to even the most cautious, well-protected systems, including the big guns with all the most advanced security measures in place.

When a cloud server is compromised, all services operating from that server can go down. There is nothing that your IT service provider can do about this. The difference here is dependent on your backup infrastructure. If a multinational corporation like Microsoft gets attacked in a DDOS, they have an enormous support structure, and will easily be able to redirect your cloud storage to another server that has not been compromised. You may recall a few years back that Apple was hit by a cyber-attack, in which confidential photos of celebrities were leaked. Although the corporation denied any breach in its systems, they confirmed that the leak occurred, and put it down to the fact that users were not making use of 2-factor authentication and other security measures to protect their accounts. Whatever the reason was, the fact remained that Apple, a giant and leader in many IT related arenas, was breached. It can happen to absolutely anyone.

It is important for businesses to be aware of this possibility and understand that although cloud storage is extremely convenient, it may not be wise to rely on it as the only way to manage or back up your systems. If you are in a position to be able to provide both physical servers and cloud storage, you have extra protection against information leakage. If you are hosting clients through your cloud storage, you will need to inform them of the outage and make an alternative plan until you resolve the problem.

Here is the bottom line:

A DDOS can affect absolutely anyone – no matter how secure your network and servers are.
Your IT company cannot do much about or against a DDOS.
If you have the infrastructure to host multiple servers, you can switch to another one, but unless you are a multinational corporation, this is a very expensive option.
In some cases physical onsite or hosted server storage as a backup to the cloud can be ideal.

For more information and to discuss the benefits of in-house or local server maintenance versus cloud storage send us a message or learn more about cloud solutions today.

Keeping Your Data Secure When Shopping Online

If you’re doing some last-minute online shopping this month, don’t forget to take steps to protect your personal data. The Holidays may feel like a time where everything is cloaked in joy and wonder – especially in a year like we’ve had in 2020; it’s definitely needed! But unfortunately, the holidays also come with an increased risk of having your data stolen. Hackers understand that the holiday season comes with increased online activity, so subsequently they pay more attention and look for weak links they can exploit.

We’ve put together a few tips to follow – now, and any other time of the year – to keep your data secure online.

Tip #1 to Protect Yourself Online: Check Your Passwords

It’s always a good idea to update your passwords on a regular basis – every 3 to 6 months is recommended. But even more important is to use strong passwords that make it difficult for a computer to guess. Contrary to popular belief, sophisticated hackers aren’t sitting at a computer typing in potential passwords manually. They’re running complex systems that run through number and letter combinations continuously until something clicks. The best passwords are two or more words together, plus numbers and symbols.

If you have trouble remembering your passwords, a password management app (like LastPass) can help you keep track of them.

Tip #2 to Protect Yourself Online: Use Two-Factor Authentication

In addition to having strong passwords, you can protect your accounts and information further using two-factor authentication. This allows you to verify your identity further after logging in to your accounts by answering a security question or receiving a code by text or email. This helps prevent access to your accounts even if they have discovered your log-in information.

Tip #3 to Protect Yourself Online: Don’t Open Mail from Unknown Senders

Phishing attempts are becoming more and more sophisticated, and it’s harder to tell them apart from real emails. Especially during the holidays when our inboxes are being filled with deals from companies we only hear from once a year, it’s easy to miss phishing attempts and malware. The best way to avoid accidentally downloading viruses is to simply avoid opening emails from unknown senders. Delete them right away.

Tip #4 to Protect Yourself Online: Avoid Using Unsecured Wi-Fi

Whether you’re working from a cafe or your home Wi-Fi is unsecured, accessing these networks from your devices can make you and your data more vulnerable. If you have to use unsecured Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi that’s accessed without requiring a password) be sure not to enter any personal information, like your credit card information or Social Insurance Number.

If you have more questions about keeping your data safe this holiday season (or any time of the year), send us a message and we can help do an analysis of your current set-up and online habits.

Inbox Security And Protecting Your Data

Take a second and imagine what would happen if you suddenly lost all of your emails. What if an employee clicked a link that, in literally less than a second, wiped the data from all the computers on your network? Talk about a pull-your-hair-out nightmare. The good news is that protecting your inbox and your data can cost as low as $5 a month!

Every day, hackers wind up in the inboxes of people and businesses, and their emails are getting more and more difficult to spot. Our CEO, James, has recently received phishing emails disguised as emails from RBC, Amazon, and Canada Post – and even he had to admit they were good attempts at mimicking the real thing.

phishing attempt email

These emails contain links or attachments that download viruses that work incredibly quickly. By the time someone clicks the link and sees a screen pop-up, the damage is already done and it’s possible the entire office will be infected.

But it’s not just hackers sending in viruses via emails that land in your inbox. They’re also breaking into email accounts and wreaking havoc by encrypting everything or adjusting settings. We’ve seen cases where hackers have created a rule that forwards your emails to someone else, or sends everything directly to the Trash folder – and all you know is that you’re not getting emails!

It’s crucial to have two-factor authentication set-up to help prevent scenarios like this. Hackers are not sitting at a computer manually entering passwords hoping something works, they have programs that cycle through combinations at incredible rates.

Luckily, there are systems we can put in place to help you reduce the risk and keep your data and inbox protected. We focus on three main tactics:

Filtering: First things first we recommend putting a filter on your inbox to keep the spam and phishing attempts out of your mailbox to begin with.

Protecting: Setting up two-factor authentication requires the user to confirm on their cell phone that they are in fact the person attempting to log-in. It can be a hassle sometimes, but the inconvenience is by far less than that of a hacker successfully getting into your inbox.

Back-up: If you lose everything in your inbox, Microsoft and Google can sometimes get you back the last 30 days of emails. But, it’s not their job and if they can’t, they aren’t too bothered about it. We can put recovery systems in place that get you back your emails – worst case scenario, we can at least get you back to the day prior.

For about the price of a Starbucks latte, you can have peace of mind that your inbox is protected and your data is safe. Give us a call today to chat about getting this set up: (514) 634-INFO (4636) x 101

Antivirus Software and an Expert to Monitor it – the Perfect Combo

Antivirus software has come a long way – but then again, so have viruses! Even though PCs are no longer as susceptible to attacks as they may have been in the past, it’s just as important as ever to have antivirus software running on your computer. Here’s why.

Viruses aren’t the only threat anymore

We may feel like we have better control over viruses these days, but viruses are no longer the only threat to our computers and cyber security! Ransomware often enters our computers through phishing emails, and can stop you accessing your files or even disable the PC altogether (and free antivirus software doesn’t protect against ransomware!)

Spyware and Trojans are other modern forms of malware that can severely disable your computer.

Why do I need an Expert monitoring things if I have antivirus software?

Even though software has come a long way and is sometimes smart enough to detect and fix any issues that arise on its own, that’s not always the case and that’s when we would take manual control of things to remove whatever virus or malware found its way onto your computer.

At Info-Tech, we have a dedicated specialist (Harry!) whose first task every morning is to ensure all client systems are in as good of shape as they were when we left the day before.

What about laptops?

Previously, any off-site computer could only be scanned once it was back in the office. However, with our solution, every single computer is monitored as soon as it comes online – including laptops, and including those that are off-site (for example, for salespeople or those who work from home). This way everyone is protected and monitored all day, every day.

How do I choose the right software for my needs?

We have chosen a software that is good for corporations or individuals, with a console management interface that we monitor for you – ensuring you’re always protected without even realizing it.

There are a lot of options, but we ultimately choose ESET for our clients because of its monitoring capabilities, ease of installation and removal, as well as the fact that the software takes into account available resources on your computer – so it protects, while still maintaining speed and performance of your device. You won’t even know it’s there!

For less than your daily lunch spend, we can have your business protected with a top-of-the-line antivirus software – and monitored by our own in-house expert! The risk of losing all of your data because of a virus or malware is just too great to rely on the free antivirus software pre-installed on your computer. If you’re ready to take the next step and protect your data and your device, send us an email or give us a call today at 514-634-INFO (6436) x 101.

Getting Hacked Isn’t Something That Only Happens to ‘Someone Else’

With the ongoing pandemic affecting almost all businesses, we’ve been talking a lot about cyber security and the importance of ensuring your data is protected to help prevent you from being hacked. Cyber attacks typically increase during chaotic times, so it’s important to ensure your security systems are up-to-date.

It’s also common to think it won’t happen to you and your business. That attacks like that happen to large companies in the states or overseas, or to those dealing with sensitive information. But in early March, the City of Châteauguay, Quebec was the victim of a cyber attack.

Hackers often target municipalities or other organizations by sending phishing emails and using them to gain access to their systems, holding it hostage until they receive a financial payout.

Given that this pandemic is ongoing and there is likely to be more attempted attacks, we thought it was a good time to remind everyone of our top security tips to keep your business from getting hacked, especially with employees working from home.

Ensure All Employees Understand Company Policy

If you read our February blog, you’ll have seen our recommendation to implement an Employee Policy for Safe Use. If you’ve recently made changes to or if it’s been a while since you’ve unveiled yours, now is a good time to have all employees re-read the policy and ensure they are aware of what is expected of them. Your policy should include things like mandatory strong passwords and not opening files sent from emails you don’t recognize.

Ensure All Staff Are Working on Devices With Proper Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus Software

While staff are in your office and working on company computers, it’s easy to ensure data is being accessed and shared across secure devices, but it’s more difficult to manage if employees are working from personal computers at home, making them more susceptible to being hacked. Make it mandatory for all staff to have up-to-date virus and malware protection on their home office equipment.

Ensure Proper Back-up and Recovery Systems Are in Place

You absolutely must have a cloud back-up solution that saves data for you at frequent, regular intervals; this is a minimum for protecting your business. Ideally, you should have a Back-up and Disaster Recovery Device (BDR) with a cloud component. This is the best way to ensure your business is protected in the event of an attack or damage.

Some places are slowly beginning the process of reopening, but it will be a while before it’s ‘business as usual’ again. Take these steps to protect your business from cyber attacks and hopefully we can all get back there sooner rather than later. If you have any questions, give us a call at (514) 634-4636 x 101. We’re always happy to help.

Protect Your Business from a Data Breach With These 5 Tips

If you think the risk of a data breach or cyberattack is low, think again. According to the 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon, every industry is at risk: last year, attacks were present from manufacturing to retail and from healthcare to administration, and everything in between. To safeguard your company from data breaches, it’s crucial to understand that not all attacks are from external sources – some are internal, and of course sometimes viruses get through accidentally due to employee mistakes.

No matter your industry, you have a lot to lose: your data, customer base, industry secrets, and proprietary information are all targets for attacks. As a cybersecurity expert in Montreal with 25 years of experience, I’ve put together five easy tips you can implement right away to help protect your business from a data breach.

Implement an Employee Policy for Safe Use (anchor links)
Remote Monitoring and Management Agents
Install Proper Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Software
Have a Proper Off-Site or Cloud Back-up of All Data
Install a Backup & Disaster Recovery Device

1. Implement an Employee Policy for Safe Use

Many businesses do not have any type of policy in place that sets boundaries for what employees can and cannot do on the internet and in e-mail accounts. To shield your organization from data breaches, your company should create a formal policy which all employees (current and future) need to sign which details information like e-mail best practices, rules for internet browsing, accessing social media sites, and completing personal tasks (like banking) on company time.

2. Remote Monitoring and Management Agents

Having managed IT services, such as Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) on every computer and server allows your business to be in a proactive rather than reactive position with security threats. Acting as a safeguard against potential data breaches, the RMM can automatically advise your IT support team that there is an imminent disk failure, low disk space, overutilization, and more to ensure it is fixed before you face an IT emergency that prevents your staff from getting work done. Depending on your anti-virus software, RMM can also alert your off-site tech experts when malware is present. Which leads us to…

3. Install Proper Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Software

When you have a team of IT experts monitoring your network security, a proper business class anti-virus solution will have the ability to alert a central web portal when a virus or malware is present. This is a critical step in protecting your business from data breaches. Because we are monitoring that portal, we’ll be able to tell when a machine has any kind of problem before you or your employees notice. We can then push commands to that computer system to clean it of the virus, and update the anti-virus software if needed. In the case that a virus can’t be cleared through a command sent via the portal, we’ll be able to notify you and your employee, connect manually, and remove it that way.

4. Have a Proper off-site or Cloud Back-up of all Data

At the absolute minimum, your business should have a cloud backup that can safely copy your data for you at regular, frequent intervals. This backup strategy is essential to protect your business from the consequences of a data breach. This way, you have access to a backup in case of a ransomware attack, hardware failure, computer damage, or theft.

5. Install a Backup & Disaster Recovery Device

Hands down, the best thing you can do to make sure your business is protected in the event of any kind of attack or damage, is to install a Backup & Disaster Recovery (BDR) device with a cloud backup component. This comprehensive approach will significantly enhance your ability to protect your business from data breaches. If you have onsite servers, this is especially important. In fact, in our opinion here at Info-Tech Montreal, it’s crucial.

Protect Your Business From a Data Breach Today

Don’t wait for a data breach to strike. Protect your business today! Contact Info-Tech Montreal now for a free security assessment and learn how we can safeguard your valuable data and take the first step towards robust IT security & cybersecurity.